Selected quad for the lemma: ground_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
ground_n	bring_v	good_a	see_v	1,546	5	3.3026	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A09649	A comfortable treatise vpon the latter part of the fourth chapiter of the first Epistle of Saint Peter, from the twelfe verse to the ende. By O. Pigge. Seene and alowed; Comfortable treatise upon the latter part of the fourth chapiter of the first Epistle of Saint Peter, from the twelfe verse to the ende.	Pigg, Oliver, b. ca. 1551.; Fielde, John, d. 1588.	1582 (1582)	STC 19915; ESTC S106422	38,659	87

will iudge all the worlde He hath prepared life and blessednesse for them that feare him and vengeance for them that knoweth him not nor obey his gospell I perceiue therefore it is necessary that I care for the life to come prouide for the safety of my soul after deth If I take the course of the world I run to eternal destruction If I embrace the word the only way vnto heauen eternall life I must make my ful reckoning of that which al the faithful professors therof haue tasted before me I must prepare my backe for stripes I must looke to bee euil spoken of iested vpon scorned at to lose the fauour of those that bee mighty to be cast in prison lose my goodes yea and my life also For I see this is the estate of the true seruants of God in this worlde Hee that shall thus debate the matter with him selfe and with an heart careful of his owne saluation cal vpon God for his direction wil soone be resolued with Moses to chuse rather afflictitions with the people of God then to enioy the pleasures of si●ne here for a short time Moreouer when stormes arise the windes b●ow and the floods beare vpon his house y t is when troubles and persecutions come he shal be able to beare them more patiently and with greater comfort sith in t●ueth he may say I thought so Loe it is come to passe as I looked for long since It is a common saying euils that be thought vppon before doe hurt lesse when they come Then they pearce vs deeply whē they come vpon vs at vnwares and when wee neuer before suspected any such matter Therfore to couclude this poynt sith the crosse is in seperably ioyned to the profession of the trueth let him that wil stand with comfort in the time of his trial before hand make his reckoning and looke for no better It followeth in the text Concerning the fiery triall or triall by fire the wordes do beare either Now the apostle doth on this wise terme the persecutions of Gods children According as hee doth before in the first chapter The speech is metaphoricall or borrowed signifying thus much As fire trieth the pure golde from that which is counterfait and naught fining it moreouer burneth wasteth sun dreth y t drosse rust from y t which is good so troubles and afflictions for Christes sake doe discerne the faythfull Christian from the hypocrite and time seruer and wasteth away the corruption of sinne that creepeth and stealeth in vppon the faythfull in their peace and prosperity making them more pure and fine to the Lord. For the first there lurketh so great selfe loue hipocrisie in vs and there are so many deceitfull corners in our heartes that it is a meruelious harde matter to be vndoubtedly persuaded in our consciences of our integrity and vprightnesse to the Lord and his trueth while the profession thereof is commanded by Princes and hath countenance liberty profite wayting vpon it For then how earnest soeuer wee seeme to be peraduenture wee loue our selues not the Lord it is our own estimation preferment y t we seeke not the holding forth of the trueth with a pure conscience Then in deed we know our selues when we haue bene tried And if in the middest of al temptations we continue without fainting and turning back we may be bold of our obediēce y t it is good y t we be such as haue built our house vpō y e rock and y t neither heighth nor depth principalities nor power life nor deth things present or things to come shal be able to seperate vs frō the loue of God While our sauiour Christe was at liberty Peter thought himself maruellous stout he affirmed very confidently y t he would not shrink frō his maister although all the rest should runne away yea when the officers came to attach him he drew out his sword smote of a seruaunt of the high priest his ear But when y e matter came to y e pinch in deede we knowe how all his courage was quailed the very speech of a damsell caused him to abiure the sauiour of y e world to whō he had before so earnestly vowed him self By him wee may learne to suspect our selues and our owne weaknesse and not to imagine that wee bee without all feare of reuolting because in the liberty peace of the gospell wee make pro●ession of the same The sandye grounde nourisheth his blade so long as the weather continueth seasonable and calme which neuerthelesse in hot and scorching wether withereth and is vnprofitable That onely we approue for good ground indeed which in the extremity of heat we haue seene bring forth the eares with full corne Euen so it is nothing in these daies to pro●esse the true religion the same being commanded by the lawes and countenanced by so many good means but if for our sinnes God should take away the prince if popery shold be established again or a mingle māgle of religiō permitted as in France then y ● true faithful professors shold be easily discerned from the hypocrit and dissemvler When all the enemies of Dauid were subdued round about and the whole kingdome of Iudah approued him for their only and true souereigne ther was no great trial of the fidelitie of his subiects But when Sheba the sonne of Bichri blew the Trumpet and sayd we haue no parte in Dauid neither haue we inheritaunce in the sonne of Ishai euery man to his tents O Israel And this drew away great numbers of the people to make an insurrection Then such as in the middest of those rebels by word or practise testified their subiection to Dauid with the hazard of their estate gaue vndoubted testimonies of their fidelity We can not say for a truth that al such be faythfull to her maiestie whiche in this her great prosperity wherein no enemye dare quech seemeth so to be they which in the dayes of Westmerland and Nort humberlaud stoode vnto her in those partes of the North agaynst their Lordes to their daunger were faythfull in deede and the land might make a good reckoning of thē in any other the like occasion As therefore by suche meanes as these loyall and true hearted subiectes to their prince be tried so when troubles and persecutions arise for the word they which be sincere vpright in the feare of the Lord be discerned from the counterfeite whiche in their profession ●aue sought nothing but their aduauntage ●nd ease And then in deed we haue put the church of God and our owne consciences out of al doubt concerning our entegritye when in the middest of afflictions for the gospell sake we haue continued with boldnes to professe the same We see therefore y t it is not without good cause why persecutions be called a fiery trial Now euen this should teach vs patiently

all pittye amongst you Surely it is no maruell that you shoulde novve pleade youre innocencie vvhen all the vvorlde may knovve your vvicked traiterous trecheries that vvill not vvillingly shut their eyes But it maye bee You thinke by some popishe vvitchery to goe in uisible by hauing some of the Popes trumpery aboute you But you deceiue youre selues and so doth he vvhom you serue Therefore repent and turne to him vvho is able to saue your soules Returne to Iesus Christe that high pastour that suffering for trueth vvith him you maye likevvise bee glorified vvith him othervvise hovvsoeuer you byte his heele vvith the Serpent hee vvill bruse your head and in the end triumph ouer you The Lorde Iesus sanctifie all that are his euen thoroughout both body soul and spirite that vvee may bee kept blamelesse vnto his holy comming Amen Amen the 27. day of this third moneth Thine assured in Christe Iohn Field 1. Pet. 4. 12. Dearely beloued think it not strange concerning the fiery triall which is among you as though some strange thing were come vnto you IT appeareth by the discourse of this epistle that y e Christians to whome Peter wrote were at that time in great persecution whereuppon after other thinges handled before in this text he commeth to giue them instructions touching this matter how they shold patiently ●eare the crosse and comfortably behaue themselues in the middest of their greatest afflictions A point of doctrine not vnnecessary for vs at this time For although by the great mercye of God it fareth not with vs as it did with the churches then Because we liue vnder a gratious prince that doth cherish and mainteine the trueth Yet because our sinnes be such as doe iustly diserue the taking away of he● royall maiesty and the restraint of pure religion I see no reason why the teachers should be charged not to take a good course in preparing the people before hande to bear such troubles whensoeuer they should come no more then our sauiour Christ was to be challenged For telling his disciples so oft of his and their own persecutions before they came arming of them againste the same It is the practise of well ordered common wealthes in the time of peace to teach their people the feates of warre And each man that hath any care of himself and his country when all things are most quiet doth neuerthelesse prouide such things in a redinesse as may stand him in steed in y ● time of trouble Euen so is it necessary that in the peace of the gospell we● be instructed to bear afflictions for the sa●e when the trueth hath greatest liberty we should continually looke for persecution therefore by the precepts and comforts of the worde be alwayes prepared to abide whatsoeuer may fal out Which considerations haue moued mee at this present to speake vnto you out of this scripture Thinke it not straunge concerning the fiery triall In this first verse he willeth the Christians not to maruell at the persecution of the churche which hee calleth by the name of fiery triall as thoughe some strāge thing had happened The last words seeme to bee set downe as a reason to perswade that which he requireth As though he should haue sayde on this wis the trouble affliction of the church or any member thereof is no straunge thing and therfore no reason why you shoulde maruel at it For we maruell at such things onely as doe seldome come to p●sse and after an extraordinary maner But if any thing come to passe often and ordinarily that wee are not wont to maruell at although in it selfe it be neuer so wonderfull If we should see a horse flye in the ayre if wee shoulde see great snowes in the middes of sommer or a plentifull haruest in the middes of winter behold iust occasions to make vs wonder because these things seldome or neuer fall out and the course of nature the order set downe by God himselfe shoulde bee inuerted But to see a horse runne apace vpon the grounde to see deepe ●snowes in the middest of winter and haruest in August or September doth neuer cause wonder●ng or astonishment although in deede they be most marueilous works of the Lord. Euen so persecutions and afflictions for righteousnes sake beeing the ordinarye portion which from time to time the saints of God haue receiued in this worlde there is no more cause why we should be amazed or astonished at that whensoeuer generally or particularly it falleth out then at the snow in the winter or haruest in the sommer If we looke vnto the beginning we shall see that Cain persecuted his own brother Abel afterward Ismael Isaack Esau Iacob And when y e visible church began to be a great people I mean y e Iewes the Egyptians first then al the nations round about ben● their force against them Among the Iews hypocrites and naughty persons of the kings priestes prophets and people failed not to hold on the same course in offering all manner of cruelty to such as truely feared the Lorde and zealously executed the functions in them committed as the histories of the scripture doe playnely witnesse If we looke into the enterteinment of our sauiour Christe and his apostles in their time it shall appeare to haue bene nothing better th●n the former And that the like condition hath bene vpon the church euer sithence it is knowne to such as haue read the stories In so much as that complaint is most true w●ich she maketh in the psal They haue often times afflicted mee from my youth vp that is to say euer sithence I had any being vpon the earth mine enimies haue not ceassed to afflict me as it were to plowe deepe furrowes vpon my backe You see then what we haue here to learne in the first place namely not to be troubled at the persecutions which may happen to our selues or any other the members of Christ For the profession of his truth and doing of our duety as though some strange thing were come to passe seeing it is the ordinary course which the wicked worlde whose works are nought taking their direction from their grandfather Caine hath from time to time practised agaynste the church and the ordinary way by the which the Lord from age to age hath lead all his children to the verifiyng of that which Paul and Barnabas preached wheresoeuer they came Through many afflictions wee must enter into the kingdome of God And this being so It behoueth vs when wee first ioyne our selues to the churche of God and enter into the profession of his trueth with purpose to leade oure liues according thereunto to sitte vs down according to the counsel of our sauiour Christ to make our account on this wise Surely I see that al flesh is grasse and al things vnder the sunne are but vanity The time will come when I must dye and God hath appoynted a day wherein he